Discussions on Career Center Campus in Jeff City

JEFFERSON CITY - Superintendent Brian Mitchell announced Tuesday that the Jefferson City Public Schools are in discussions with Lincoln University and Linn State Technical College to help develop a higher education corridor in the Lafayette Street/Stadium Boulevard area. A major component of the corridor would include the sale of Jefferson City High School and its extended campus including the Nichols Career Center building and the stadium facilities to Lincoln University and Linn State.

The Jefferson City Public Schools hope to build a new high school on approximately 100 acres as part of a bond issue for the April 2013 election. The new school would be constructed to house seven academies that would serve students in grades 9-12. The campus would include athletic facilities for all sports which would be directly adjacent to the new school.

Superintendent Mitchell said, "We are very excited to be in discussions with both Dr. Carolyn Mahoney, President of Lincoln University, and Dr. Don Claycomb, President of Linn State Technical College, to develop a higher education corridor on the properties between Lafayette Street, Jackson Street and Stadium Boulevard. Should the April 2013 bond issue be approved and should our institutions agree to terms, we would sell the high school, the Nichols building, and the stadium facilities to those institutions."

"We envision Linn State and Lincoln University working with other local entities to develop an area that would support higher education and the students they serve. At this time Linn State is already collaborating with Capital Region Medical Center on some matters, and we foresee that entire area experiencing tremendous growth and development. We're convinced that such a corridor would be mutually beneficial to the educational institutions and the entire community," Dr. Mitchell said.

For the school district to build a new high school facility, it is important that the current property be repurposed. The district has been investigating potential buyers for the facilities, and both Linn State and Lincoln would be excellent candidates to purchase the properties.

Conversations regarding the properties and facilities are still in the initial stages.